


Gwynburn Dates

by ThePurpleWarlock



Category: The Dark Artifices Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-03-23 21:51:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13797060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePurpleWarlock/pseuds/ThePurpleWarlock
Summary: @that-random-fanatic off Tumblr and I are writing a series of Gwynburn dates.





	1. Italian restarunt

A couple of weeks after the events that occurred in Idris, Gwyn took it upon himself to see how Diana and the other residents of the L.A institute were doing. He had gone to the window of Diana's office, in the hope of finding her there. Much to his luck, she was.

"Gwyn!" She exclaimed and, although it was small and quick, she smiled as she hurried to the window. "My lovely lady, I came to see how you and the others were doing after everything" Gwyn said with such concern in his voice Diana's heart melted. "The first week was difficult, on all of us, but things are getting better. Livvy wouldn't want us all hurting" she said, and Gwyn nodded at her words.

"As the hurt is healing, I was wondering if you would grace me with your company" Gwyn asked, and Diana found herself smiling. It wasn't just at the thought of spending time with Gwyn that made her smile, but the fact that asking her on a date made the fearless leader of the wild hunt nervous. "You may do Gwyn, would you like to come is as we decide what we do?" she answered. Gwyn couldn't have gotten off his horse and into the room fast enough.

Diana should really have learned from the first time Gwyn had made suggestions for dates, but his obvious excitement meant she found her asking "Did you have anything in mind Gwyn?" It seemed Gwyn did have ideas, plenty of them and all of them faerie ones. "I could take us on a raft in the middle of an ocean, or treat you to lunch in a subterranean lunch spot, or take you on an adventure half a world away, or show you another realm on this earth. I could even show you the wonders of Antarctica…."

With Gwyn's last suggestion Diana raised an eyebrow and interrupted Gwyn with "Gwyn I live in a place where it doesn't snow! Antarctica would kill me." The horror on Gwyns face was obvious. "I did not know my lady was allergic to snow, which is a true shame as I do love it so. Does that mean that you are also allergic to water?" and the panic in his voice obvious, and Diana had to stop herself from giggling.

"No Gwyn I am not allergic to snow, but merely used to the heat and would not deal well the cold" she explained and Gwyn's face just lit up. "I must admit, I am not too sure about your ideas though. Maybe at a later stage I will try some of your faerie customs, but now, maybe we could go to the Italian restaurant down the road?". If Gwyn had been disappointed that his ideas had been shot down he did not show it. "If that is what you wish my lady, then it is what we shall do".

Half and hour later, they were ready to go and Diana had told the others that she was going out for a couple of hours. The fact Gwyn was there, made everyone realise it was a date, even though neither Gwyn not Diana said those words. They had scarcely it to the bottom of the Institute steps when Diana slipped her fingers into Gwyns, where they stayed until they were seated in the restaurant.

As it turns out, Gwyn had been so used to eating butchered up bits of meat, that he had lost practice on eating finer foods. Somehow he managed to get pasta sauce all over his face, including a blob of sauce ending up on a spot over his eyebrow. Diana had taken it upon herself to gently remove it with her napkin. Gwyn had blushed then, saying "I apologize if i am embarrassing you my lady" and Diana simply took his hand, looked him in his bi-colored eyes saying "Gwyn, you might be a little bit of a dork at times, but I admit that might be why am falling for you" and that for Gwyn, was one of the best things he had heard in a long time.

A bit later on, Diana had taken a mouthful of the pizza she had been eating, Only to be attached by a long string of cheese. Realising she was struggling, Gwyn just fancy swooshed his small knife through it making several people turn and stare, but Gwyn and Diana were so in their own little bubble that they didn't notice.

They were so enclosed in their own bubble of laughing at Diana's stories of the Blackthorns and Gwyns attempts at flirting, that they were unaware of the drama unfolding around them. Another Customer had somehow set their sleeve on fire with the candle on the table, and chaos had naturally followed. It wasn't until someone started screaming next to Diana was there a reaction from them. Raising an eyebrow, Diana asked the screamer "are you currently dying?" in a tone that showed just how unimpressed she was. The person simply shook their head mumbling "no".

Diana was now even less impressed. "Well would you mind being quiet, for we are trying to enjoy our meal and you are making this most difficult" and with that she returned her attention to Gwyn who was the loveheart emoji in human form. As they sat their, giving each other spoonfuls of Ice Cream, they had no idea Mark and Emma had followed them and were sitting the opposite side of the room, 120% invested in the romance unfolding in front of them.

*Cut to Mark and Emma*

"Oh isn't that so romantic Mark?" Emma sighed, taking yet another photo to send to Jules, who was responding with everyone's reactions (in particular his, Cristina's and Kieran's). "I did not realise it was possible for Gwyn to have such feeling but Diana is very much of Gwyn's hearts it seems" Mark nodded, unable to take his eyes off just how soft Gwyn was with Diana. "I know, we shall send over some champagne" Emma exclaimed and motioned for a miserable looking waiter to come over.

"Would you be able to send a bottle of champagne over to that table please. We would pay of course but could you keep it anonymous?" Emma asked, and the waiter wasn't impressed in the slightest. "And how is it two goth kids have the funds for such things?" he grumbled. Emma waved her hand "that sir is none of your concern, now stop trying to get in the way of true love" and it was obvious no more was going to come out of Emma, as she had resumed her staring.

The waiter just stood, glaring at the pair. Mark looked up saying "If you do not mind good sir you are blocking the view of true love, now if you do not mind, could you please move and do as my friend asked" and with that the waiter left, convinced by Gwyn and Marks speech they were related. Bringing the champagne over to Gwyn and Diana, the waiter (who was so annoyed that Mark and Emma seemed to have more money than he did) went "those two goth kids sent this over".

Realising they had been bust, Mark attempted to hide, but his attempt as so ha he may as well not have bothered, (there was a bamboo plant near them and Mark had used his faerie speed to get behind it, but you could still very much see him) and Emma, knowing there wasn't much for her to do, smiled and waved at the couple. Diana rolled her eyes and Gwyn was trying to hide his amusement. "Thank you for bringing that over, but I think it is a good time for us to pay our bill" Diana said, and made sure Emma and Mark did the same. After a bit of disagreement, Gwyn ended up paying for the food (he'd got mundane money courtesy of Mark and Cristina. Diana had wanted to at least pay half but he was none of it) and with that they all left.

Emma and Mark walking behind Diana and Gwyn with her arms folded. "You could have just let Jules pick us up" she complained. Diana rolled her eyes "and have another person stare at us I don't think so Emma" she replied and Gwyn just softly smiled at her. By the time they had returned, Diana sent Mark and Emma inside to have a private moment with Gwyn, not noticing that most of the Blackthorns were at the windows armed with phones and Tavvy had escaped and was currently standing next to the car openly staring at them. It wasn't until Jules slipped out, took his brothers hand and steered him back indoors whispering "you need to be more subtle Tavs" did they notice.

Taking Diana's hand, Gwyn led her a slight distance from the Institute (although from where they were, the inhabitants could still see them) to say his goodbyes. "I enjoyed myself my lady with you by my side" Gwyn said, and Diana smiled at him. "As did I my Gwyn, I hope we can do something similar soon" Diana replied. Gwyn beamed, and as he did his face just lit up like the sun.

Gwyn then gently put his hands on Diana's waist, slowly lowered his lips to hers (as to give her time to react) he gently kissed her on the lips. Sensing this was to much of a private moment to watch, the Blackthorns and Co scattered from the windows. Diana kissed back, wrapping her arms round his neck to pull him closer to her. It was perfect, and neither of them wanted it to end, but soon their need to kiss was too great, and they broke, resting each others foreheads together, giggling like a couple of lovestruck teenagers.

Gwyn softly kissed Diana again, then whispered, "until the next time my love" then got on his horse which had appeared and left, with Diana watching him go, her fingers lightly on her lips where he had kissed her moments before. Once he was out of sight, she turned and went into the Institute. Closing the doors she leant her back against them and gave out a giddy laugh.

That's when the applause started. Tavvy was running around cheering, and Diana just looked around this was the Blackthorns (and co) accepting her relationship with Gwyn. Glancing over at Kieran, she noticed the Prince was also clapping, and on making eye contact, his hair paled and he smiled. One of the few things Kieran wanted was for Gwyn to be happy, and he knew with Diana, Gwyn was going to be the happiest Faerie around. His smile let Diana he approved. Things for Diana Wrayburn were certainly improving


	2. Lapland

Since their first proper date, and the actual confirmation that Diana and Gwyn were actually dating, Gwyn had been making all sorts of excuses to come to the Institute to see Diana. The Blackthorns all knew what he was doing, and Mark ended up telling Gwyn “you could just say you are here for Diana. We are happy for both for you, so don’t mind why you are here. Please just stop with the excuses” and of course Gwyn was more than happy to oblige. Just as Mark had said, no one seemed bothered that he would just arrive and ask where Diana was. 

On one visit, Gwyn ended up getting pleasantly surprised by Diana. He’d gone to her office, and had wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her on her neck, making Diana smile, and seemingly melt into him. “Do you have any plans for the next couple of days?” she asked, enjoying being in Gwyn’s arms (she had looped her fingers in his, meaning he was literally wrapped around her). “Nothing I couldn’t change, why do you ask my lovely lady?” he asked, and Diana felt her heart lift slightly. “I’ve planned something. A date for us, but it is a surprise my love” she said. There was something oddly satisfying about calling Gwyn “my love” Diana thought. 

Gwyns face lit up in excitement. “I would not mind what we did as long as I had you by my side” Gwyn said, and to prove his point, pressed another soft kiss to Diana’s temple. They stayed like that, simply enjoying each other company until Cristina knocked on the door, letting them know Catarina had sent a fire message to say she was ten minutes away. The confusion on Gwyn’s was obvious, “Why would Mark and Kieran’s Lady of Roses tell us that Catarina was nearly here?” he asked, making Diana laugh, more out of the fact she knew more than Gwyn did. “It’ll ruin the surprise! But you can’t go wearing that. Talk to Kieran, he has what you need” she instructed, and who was Gwyn to argue.  
As soon as Gwyn had left, Diana had taken all her self-control not to scream in excitement. Quickly, she ran to her room, changed into the clothes she had prepared, grabbed the bag she had packed and went down to the main entrance hall. Gwyn arrived a minute later, looking like a large marshmallow in all the layers Kieran had gotten him to wear. Where Diana had planned on taking them was cold and required a lot of thick clothing. Courtesy of the Blackthorns, they had matching gloves, hats and scarfs, in which Cristina had embroidered their initials. Diana had strict instructions from Tavvy that they had to wear them.

Just as Caterina arrived, Emma gave Diana a tight hug, telling her to enjoy herself, and promised that they could hold the fort whilst she was away. Julian just nodded at Gwyn, making him promise to look after Diana “as she is very important to us”. Gwyn agreed, saying “worry not son of thorns, Lady Diana is important to me as well. No harm will come to her whilst I am with her” and with that, Catarina opened a portal to send the lovers on their way. 

On walking through the portal, Gwyn found himself outside a log cabin, surrounded by snow. “Welcome to Lapland Gwyn” Diana whispered, then stepped on her toes to softly kiss him on the lips. Gwyn just looked like a combination of an excited Tavvy at Christmas, and an overly concerned Julian. “But what of your snow allergy?” Gwyn asked, making Diana giggle. “I don’t have an allergy to snow Gwyn, I have told you this! And I wouldn’t have brought us here if I was” she said, then slipped her hand in his, and lead him into the log cabin they would be saying in. Having been reassured that Diana wasn’t going to have a severe allergic reaction, the Tavvy part of Gwyn seemed to take over.  
He wrapped his arms around her, picked her up and spun her around her in a couple of circles, ultimately falling over in a pile of snow, as a tangle of limps and scarves. Thankfully Diana had landed on top of Gwyn, but he still worried he had hurt her. She just giggled, then buried her cold face in his recently exposed neck, causing him to squirm, which only encouraged Diana even more. Somehow they managed to pull themselves together enough to get back on their feet, and once they were, Diana slipped her hand in his and walked inside the log cabin they would be sharing.

Once inside and out of the cold and the snow, they were able to take off some of the layers that they had been wrapped in. Cristina had made them both personalised Jumpers – Diana had one with her fish tattoo on it, and Gwyn had one with a massive set of antlers, which had had a string of fairy lights wrapped around them. It made Diana burst out laughing. There was something about seeing this massive, ancient faerie in a knitted Christmas Jumper. Diana was one of those people with a really infectious laugh so once she started, Gwyn soon joined in. 

Once they had unpacked, (Well Diana unpacked and Gwyn tried to help but got in Diana’s way so was made to sit in one of the comfy chairs and watch) Diana somehow ended up in Gwyn’s lap cuddling (she’d literally just plonked herself on his lap, one arm round his neck, her other hand with her fingers linked with his, and they spent the next hour talking about the stuff that they enjoyed doing in the snow, and making each other laugh with some of their ridiculous stories. 

It soon got late, and Diana decided it was time for them to eat. Gwyn refused to be left in the chair again, so she allowed him to help out and keep her company, which of course was very much appreciated, by both Gwyn and Diana. That night Gwyn had offered to sleep in a separate bed (which was far too small for him) as to make sure he didn’t cross any of Diana’s boundaries, but Diana was having none of it, which was how the pair of them ended up spooning on Diana’s bigger bed.

The next morning, the couple decided to spend the morning in the snow, and the afternoon visiting Father Christmas (Tavvy had instructed Diana to pay him a visit, and there was no way Diana wasn’t going to turn this instruction down). They hadn’t been outside long when the shenanigans started. Gwyn had been taking in the snow, and reminded Diana of a small child. Taking advantage of her boyfriends distraction, Diana grabbed a handful of snow, ran up behind him, jumped up before shoving the snow down his top.   
Gwyn gave a surprised yelp, as Diana wrapped herself round him like a koala. Gwyn then tried to get the snow out, but Diana just tightened her grip on him and was alternating between laughing and calling victory. Eventually Diana dropped back to the floor and that triggered an intense snowball fight between the leader of the Wild Hunt, and a badass well trained Shadowhunter. In both their minds, there was dramatic music as they through snowballs at each other whilst circling. In reality they were sounded like they were doing really bad impersonations of Ninjas.

Diana ultimately won the battle. It was close, but she managed to trip him up and make him fall on the floor, not before he grabbed onto her and pulled her down with him. “You won my lovely lady, in more ways than one” Gwyn said softly, which caused a soft gentle kiss between the two. The moment was perfect, and left them smiling like the pair of softies they were whenever they were together.

Once they had picked themselves up, they went to visit Father Christmas. Gwyn had brought his Antler Helmet (He’d had it the day before when he had visited Diana at the Institute) and Diana had decided it would be absolutely hilarious if they put on a model horse that was outside the grotto. Of course, they took a photo when they were inside with Father Christmas to show Tavvy to prove the encounter really had happened. When Father Christmas asked what their Christmas wish was, Gwyn looked at Diana going “I already have mine” which made Diana blush, and the elves to do a chorus of “aww”. 

The walk back to the log cabin included a lot of hand holding and really soft kisses between the couple. That evening was a repeat of the one before, with them cuddling in, then making dinner together, more cuddling then spooning in bed. There had been a time Diana had never even allowed herself to even consider herself to be in a relationship with someone, and yet here she was, spooning Gwyn Ap Nudd whilst on a date with him in Lapland.

The following day they would return to L.A. and whilst they were packing, they decided that it would be a really sweet idea for Gwyn to dress up as Father Christmas for Tavvy. The more time Gwyn learnt about the various Christmas traditions used by the Blackthorns, the more he wanted to try them out, not that he was going to confess to this, but Diana was clever and had worked it out. So when she asked if he wanted to spend Christmas with them, it took all of his self-control not to get over-excited when he accepted.  
When they portaled back, they went straight to Diana’s, and with Catarina’s magic, they got a Father Christmas outfit for Gwyn. Together, Gwyn and Diana walked backed to the Institute. It seemed the blackthorns had been looking out for Diana as they were all in the main entrance as soon the door had opened. Tavvy had come charging down the stairs, but had come skidding to a halt on seeing Gwyn dressed up as Father Christmas. The older Blackthorn’s saw straight through the costume to Gwyn, but Tavvy completely brought it. “I told Father Christmas all about you Tavvy, and he wanted to come and say Hello” Diana explained.

Tavvy then took Gwyn’s hand, and took him to the front room, and Tavvy told him everything he wanted for Christmas. Gwyn to his credit went completely into character. It was actually Gwyn’s over-enthusiasm that gave the game away, but Tavvy let Gwyn continue to think he had him convinced. When Gwyn left as “Father Christmas” and returned as himself, Tavvy insisted on telling him all about the visit, only to end by whispering “Thank you” in Gwyn’s ear at the end.


	3. Movie Night

The Blackthorns had gotten so used to Gwyn being around, on his visits and dates with Diana, that they asked him to join them on their monthly movie night. Gwyn had been a little taken aback by this, but he had gladly taken the invitation. Admittedly there was a part of him that had no idea what he was letting himself in for, but his love for Diana and growing love for the Blackthorns meant that he let this somewhat minor detail slide. 

He’d scarcely finished knocking on the door when Diana flung the door open, a massive smile on her face. “You made it!” she exclaimed, half out of pure joy, half in surprise. “Of course I came. You my love asked me to come” Gwyn answered, which made Diana stand on her toes and kiss him softly on the lips, something Gwyn was more than happy to respond to. Once the kiss broke, Diana took a step back to allow Gwyn to enter, then linked her pinkie with his and led him inside.

They joined the Blackthorns, who were getting the final few bean bags ready for the film. Dru had chosen a horror movie and was very excited about it. Once they had arrived, Tavvy trustingly took Gwyn’s hand announcing that they would be needing snacks, and he required Gwyn’s help in the matter. Gwyn sent a look to the rest of the room, but the only response was Julian going “good thinking Tavvy, I’m getting hungry” before going back to his task. 

Shrugging slightly, Gwyn followed the youngest Blackthorn to the kitchen. Had Tavvy not been telling such amusing and interesting stories of his siblings, Gwyn would have questioned why they seemed to be going down so many corridors. Tavvy told Gwyn about how Ty and Livvy would act out sections of the Sherlock Holmes books Ty loved so much, and how Jules would help him to paint, but more often than not the brothers would end with more paint on them than the paper. He told amusing stories of Mark (some were real, some obviously made up) which made Gwyn chuckle (something Tavvy was very happy about).

Tavvys chatter soon turned to the Dark War, and what he and his family had been through. It made Gwyn sad to hear someone so young speak of such trauma, but he respected the Blackthorns for getting through it all. "You have been through a lot little one but you have a good family" Gwyn found himself saying as they finally got to the kitchen. Tavvy just nodded going “sure do”. Tavvy then turned and looked up at Gwyn expectantly going “I want popcorn. You can’t have a movie without popcorn” which resulted in Gwyn looking at Tavvy, a look of confusion on his face and the thought of “how does one make popcorn?” going through his head.

After a slight pause, Tavvy asked “you are an adult right?” which of course made Gwyn nod going “yes little one I am” which made Tavvy beam. “Good, then you can make popcorn!” he exclaimed. How Tavvy had decided that being an adult meant he could make popcorn, Gwyn wasn’t entirely sure. He realised that Tavvy really was expecting this food Gwyn had no idea about. “We do not have popcorn in faerie” he confessed.

This revelation horrified Tavvy no end, with him repeating “you don’t have popcorn in faerie?” with the horror clear in his voice. Gwyn just seemed really sad to have upset to have disappointed the youngest Blackthorn so much, but was saved by Diana coming into the room to get herself a glass of water. “Diana! Gwyn says they don’t have popcorn in Faerie” Tavvy exclaimed, making Diana smile slightly. It made her heart melt that it was still the small things that upset the youngest Blackthorn.

“We’ll have to let him try some won’t we?” she asked, ruffling Tavvy’s hair, and pressing a light kiss to the corner of his mouth, something Tavvy pulled a face, but still nodded enthusiastically at Diana’s comment. Tavvy then sat himself on a chair, watching Diana get the popcorn stuff ready. Whilst waiting for the machine to warm up, Gwyn stood behind Diana, arms around her waist, and pressed a light kiss to her neck, making Diana just melt into him. Tavvy pulled a face. Being 7, he still found the concept of adults kissing a little bit gross.  
Despite it being gross to Tavvy, he was still up for some mischief by going “Diana and Gwyn, sitting in a tree…” but Diana knew exactly where this was going, so being the intelligent woman she was, she made sure to stop him before things got really awkward by going “TAVVY! Anyway its first comes love, then comes more love, then comes the Demon killing as a family” which made Tavvy giggle like no one’s business and Gwyn blink multiple times in confusion. “Diana, are we to expect a Demon attack?” he asked, genuinely concerned.

Diana chuckled then. Gwyn might be a big scary giant faerie, but he was still a dork, more specifically her dork and by the angel she was in love with him. “Oh gosh no, it’s a song” she explained, and kissed him on the mouth again. She only stopped when Tavvy announced the popcorn machine was ready. Putting the corns into the machine, they stood waiting for them to pop. “You Shadowhunters and your morbid nursery rhymes” Gwyn muttered, but was stopped with Diana kissing him again. Tavvy cover his eyes exclaiming “grownups kissing is gross” which only made the pair kiss more deeply.

They only stopped when the popcorn started popping, and Gwyn practically jumped out of his skin in surprise. Diana just giggled, whereas Tavvy got off his chair, walked up to the Hunter, and sympathetically tapped him on the elbow (which was the highest point he could reach) going “there there”. Gwyn looked down at Tavvy and went “thank you little son of thorns” which made Tavvy beam. Diana just smiled at the boys, whilst thinking “it’s good my family are getting on” and it was the first time she saw Gwyn and the Blackthorns as her family. She smiled softly to herself then, at how innocent and oblivious they both seemed at how perfect the pair seemed.

The Popcorn finished, and Diana split it into two bowls. She took one, and Gwyn insisted on taking the other. Tavvy stood between the couple, holding both their hands. He just chatted away to whatever popped into his head, with Diana and Gwyn both smiling down at him. It was perfect. When they finally returned the only reaction was Jules going “finally the food is here, I was going hungry”. Neither Jules nor Emma would admit it, but it was nice for some actual adults to be in a parental role for once. 

***After the movie***

It seemed that Gwyn hadn’t actually the film wasn’t real and the characters were actors. As a result he had practically ended up in Diana’s lap in pure terror, convinced that the actors had actually died. Dru on the other hand found this all very funny. “I’m 13 and I wasn’t scared. You are such a newb” she told Gwyn, making Gwyn hide his face his neck in Diana’s in embarrassment.

Once his embarrassment had somewhat faded, Gwyn looked over at Kieran and found himself asking “are all the nephilim like this, or are Diana’s broken?” which made Kieran lean over and give Gwyn a sympathetic tap on the head going “you’ll get used to it” which only made Gwyn feel slightly awkward again. Dru just laughed then. She had made Gwyn feel like this for she had been the person to choose the film.

Gwyn looked at Mark and simply went “the girl is laughing at me” which made Mark smile. He liked that the two parts of his life were getting along. “Yeah she does that, it means she likes you. She’s comfortable around you. That’s why she chose the film. She wanted you to like it” Mark explained and Dru nodded to prove her brothers point. Gwyn got up off Diana’s lap and Dru wrapped her arm around him in a hug, and after a moments hesitation, Gwyn returned the hug. “I like you, you’re a good egg” Dru announced.   
Gwyn looked baffled, “but I am a faerie?” he asked, but Dru looked up at him and smiled sweetly. “It’s a compliment” she explained but he was still confused. Diana’s Shadowhunters really were broken, but he made sure to hug Dru a little tighter. After a pause, Dru looked at Gwyn at went “hurt Diana we will hurt you, got it?” and Gwyn just looked horrified. “Why would I hurt Lady Diana?” he asked, making Dru shrug and go “exactly!” and that was the end of that.

The rest of the Blackthorns had taken it upon themselves to tidy up, giving the couple time to say their goodbyes. They went to Diana’s office, Diana looping her arms round his waist, and his fingers loosely in her hair. “Thank you for coming today” Diana said softly, “It meant a lot that you did” which made Gwyn drop his head and kiss her softly. “It was the least I could do my love” he whispered, and this time the kiss was not a short one. It was a slow, sweet kiss that made Diana go week at the knees. Her grip at Gwyn’s waist tightened.

She moaned slightly, her mouth opening slightly. Almost shyly, Gwyn slipped his tongue into hers, exploring her mouth. They eventually broke for air, but as soon as they had their breath back, they were kissing again, with a certain desperation in their kissing now. They hadn’t had any real alone time and by the angel they were making up for it. Gwyn ended up picking Diana up and sitting her on her desk, arms now round his neck and her legs round his waist. When they broke, Diana rested her forehead on his saying “don’t go Gwyn, please. I want you to stay” and Gwyn smiled softly. “As my lady wishes” he said softly.


	4. The Beach

Diana had started to feel guilty she had had a significant say in all her dates with Gwyn, so she had decided to allow him to plan their next one. Gwyn had been delighted at the news, and according to Kieran, had spent a lot of time planning it. He arrived at the Institute one day, announcing that he had everything sorted and that they were going out for the day. Despite herself, Diana couldn’t help feel a bit excited as she slipped her hand into his.

They walked to the beach before they stopped and Gwyn asked “Do you trust me my lady?”, and Diana found herself nodding. Gwyn then stood behind her, gently put his hands over her eyes, and carefully guided her to where he had set the date up before removing his hand from her eyes. In front of her was a picnic laid out, with a huge variety of food, as well as a bunch of flowers. Diana just stared, taking the sight in, and trying to form words to say how grateful she was. Gwyn it seemed had gotten unsure of himself, so awkwardly picked up the flowers, handed them to Diana going “these are for you”.

Diana took the flowers and just grinned. She then put them down, closed the gap between them, cupped Gwyn’s face and kissed him. Gwyn’s arms found themselves loosely wrapped around Diana’s waist as he kissed her back. When the kiss broke, she went “thank you Gwyn, for doing this for me” then kissed him again, something he was very happy to respond to. Eventually they broke, and sat themselves on the blanket Gwyn had laid out and ate.

As much as Diana loved the Blackthorn’s, she enjoyed moments where she could be with Gwyn, enjoying some peace and just feel happy and not have to worry about anything. Once they had finished eating, she turned to Gwyn and started kissing Gwyn again, by way of showing him how grateful she was for doing this for her. She wasn’t entirely how it had happened but she had ended up straddling him, and was essentially making out with him. She had her fingers in his hair and could feel him gently running his fingers up and down her back. She felt almost drunk on the entire thing.

They were so wrapped up in each other and their own little bubble that they didn’t realise that they had company until Tavvy went “Jules, why is Diana sitting on Gwyn and being gross?” Diana felt so embarrassed that she simply buried her face into the crook of Gwyn’s neck and blushed. Jules hastily made an apology and offered to find another spot on the beach when Diana managed to compose herself enough to look up to realise they had been joined by everyone else.

“Well you are all here, you may as well stay” she said, then glanced at Gwyn, in a silent question. Gwyn simply pressed a small kiss to her temple then said “They are your family my love of course they can stay”. Diana couldn’t help but smile at the fact Gwyn had referred to them as her family. She then shifted she was no long sitting on Gwyn and was observing the scene in front of her.

Kit, Livvy and Ty were in the rock pools looking for whatever sea life they could find. Mark and Kieran had already made it to the sea, Emma and Cristina were sunbathing, Dru was reading a book and Jules was attempting to put sun-cream on a Tavvy who didn’t want Jules to put sun cream on him. Diana couldn’t help but smile at the scene, and she curled up into Gwyn and watched everything unfold.

Diana eventually stood up and looked at Gwyn. “I’m going to the sea, are you coming?” she asked before removing her clothing to reveal an orange bikini under her clothing. Gwyn swallowed hard as his mouth went dry. He’d always thought Diana was beautiful, but she was even more so now. Not to mention he was also incredibly proud of the fact she felt comfortable enough to have this much of her body on show.

He was so absorbed in staring at her he didn’t see Mark throw a pair of brightly colored Hawaiian swim shorts at him until they landed in his face. Gwyn just took them in his hands and looked utterly baffled at them before looking at Mark. “I do not understand what these are Mark or why you have given them to me Mark” he confessed making Mark smile. “I guessed you wouldn’t have any swim shorts Gwyn so I took the liberty of getting you some. Diana asked you to join her in the sea so I recommend you find a place to change quickly. We wouldn’t want Diana waiting too long now would we?” Mark said.

Realising Gwyn had taken a while to join her, Diana turned, and found herself struggling not to giggle. Gwyn had changed into to the shorts Mark had given him and he just looked so out of place with them. Gwyn looked so awkward and out of place in them that part of her felt so sorry for him, and part of her want to laugh. She walked over to him and took his hands in hers going “interesting choice of clothing Gwyn” causing Gwyn took blush slightly.

It was then Diana realized that the shorts were the only thing that Gwyn was wearing, and he had his bare chest on show. She gently placed her hand on his chest, taking it all in. “See something you like my lady?” Gwyn asked and all Diana could do was nod slightly. Gwyn gently pressed his lips to her forehead. They stayed like that moment before Diana took a step back going “I’m going in deeper, do you want to come?” and he just gave her a small smile.

“I think I will stay here and enjoy the view” Gwyn said, giving her a small smile. Diana laughed saying “The view is much better if you come out here” but Gwyn just shrugged. Maybe for you, but for me they view out there would not have you in it, so would not be good enough for me” he said which made Diana blush. She kept going out, and eventually starting to swim, and would every so often try and talk Gwyn into joining her. Realising that he was running out of excuses, Gwyn knew he would have to confess the main reason that he was unable to go out and join her.

“I cannot go out and join you my lady, for I cannot swim” he confessed. Diana was about to reply when Kieran went “well I can swim. I will teach you” which caused Gwyn to look at Kieran with a look of surprise. “You will? But why?” he said, unable to keep the confusion out of his voice. Kieran shrugged then before going “You taught me so much in the hunt Gwyn, it’s only fair I return the favour” which took Gwyn back a bit. He’d always had a soft spot for Kieran and had kept an eye on him but he had no idea he’d had such an impact on the young faeries life.

The three of them went to the beach, and whilst Diana sat on a blanket, Kieran patiently showed Gwyn how to swim. No matter what he did, Gwyn found himself struggling at points and nearly drowning and kept grabbing onto Kieran (as the closest thing to him) and nearly took him down with him. After this had happened a few times, Gwyn finally stood up and looked at Kieran going “I am not sure why you keep trying when I have nearly killed you several times”. Kieran just shrugged then going “I want to help. You are the closest thing I have to a Dad Gwyn”. Instead of verbally responding, Gwyn just brought Kieran into a huge bear hug and held him tight, with Kieran eventually hugging back. Diana found herself looking away, feeling as though she should not be invading on such a private moment.

Once the hug had broken, Tavvy, (thinking he was being helpful) handed them a lilo in the shape of a unicorn and promptly walked off. Gwyn looked at the unicorn and then at Diana. “I do not understand my lady what is this?” and Diana struggled to keep a straight face. She was constantly reminded that what she had come to accept in the human world did not necessarily make an appearance in faerie and as a result confused Gwyn. “It is a lilo in the shape of a unicorn Gwyn” she explained which seemed to confuse Gwyn even more.

“But horses do not have horn on their heads but rather….” Gwyn said, and on realising where the sentence was going (and knowing Tavvy was within earshot) Diana picked up the duck inflatable Kit had left lying around and started hitting Gwyn with it to shut him up. Kieran just watched the entire exchange unfold and then promptly burst out laughing. Only Diana could get away with hitting the fierce-some leader of the Wild Hunt with an inflatable duck.

Further down the beach, Jules, Tavvy, Emma and Kit watched the events between Gwyn and Diana unfold. “What the duck?” Kit asked causing Emma to start laughing. Jules turned on him going “LANGUAGE! My 7 year old brother is here Kit” which caused Kit to act all innocent (which made laugh even more) and ask “I said duck Jules, what did you think I said?” which made Jules blush at his misunderstanding. Emma then turned on him going “I heard Duck Jules, and I am very confused as to what word you heard”. The pair of them kept trying to get Jules to swear, and, realising he was close to actually saying the word, Jules splashed them both going “It’s lucky Emma I love you as much as I do, and Ty loves you as much as he does Kit otherwise it would have been worse”.

Things soon escalated as it soon became a full on water fight, with every person for themselves. Diana somehow ended up getting a piggy back off Gwyn wand was using this extra height to her advantage, much to everyone else’s disadvantage. Eventually exhaustion caused them all to call a truce, and they walked to the beach to dry off. Diana walked over to Emma and went “I’m proud of you Emma, I just wanted you to know” which completely took Emma by surprise. “Whatever for?” Emma asked, making Diana smile fondly at her. “For conquering your fear of the sea. The Emma of five years ago would never have done what you just did” Diana said, which made Emma simply go over and hug Diana tightly.

Further down the beach, Gwyn turned to Kieran and said something that he’d wanted to for a while but until that point hadn’t had the words to. “Kieran, earlier, when you said I was the closest thing you had to a Dad? I just wanted you to know that I see you as a son, and I will do everything in my power to keep you safe” which made Kieran smile and give Gwyn a hug, his hair changing to a lighter shade of blue, a small smile on his face. For years Kieran had felt he had never felt he had belonged, but now he felt like he had a family and people who loved him.

It was Livvy who instigated the most significant moment of the day. Looping her arms round Ty and Jules she went “today was fun, we should have more family days” which caused more arms to go round more people, until everyone except Gwyn and Diana were involved in a mass hug. Mark looked at them both and went “you two are part of this family just as much as we are, get over here and be a part of the family hug” which was how they found themselves involved in the family hug. It was both Gwyn and Diana’s favourite date that had had so far.


	5. zoo’s, the arcade and Diana being a badass

Having gotten to know each other a lot better, Jules and Kieran found themselves regularly training together. During a particular training session, they had taken a break and were standing by a window. Kieran noticed Gwyn and Diana standing outside, arms looped around the other, grinning lovingly at each other. “Gwyn speaks of Lady Diana regularly. He rarely speaks of anything else, he is quite taken with her” Kieran said, making Jules nod. “Well if how much Diana talks of Gwyn is anything to go by, she is rather taken by him as well” he replied. There was a silence, before Kieran went “it wouldn’t surprise me if he left the hunt in a few years” which caused Jules to raise an eyebrow asking “for her you think?” which caused Kieran to nod. “When was the last time they went on a date?” Jules then added. Kieran frowned before simply going “too long”. 

“What do you say about us casually leaving some leaflets out for places they could go on a date?” Jules asked, as small smile on his face. Kieran grinned then before going “I would say you have had a very good idea Julian”. Without saying another word, they packed away from their training session and set about preparing for their plan of getting Gwyn and Diana to go on another date. They had found a selection of leaflets for places they thought Gwyn and Diana would go. It was a weird bonding experience, as they found themselves discussing Gwyn and Diana’s relationship, as well as their own relationships. Once they were finished, they left giving both Gwyn and Diana time to find the leaflets and decided on their next date.

***

Thankfully, the leaflet plan work, and Gwyn and Diana found themselves on the way to the local zoo. Having paid for their entry, Diana slipped her hand into Gwyn’s and they found themselves waking round looking at all the animals. They had started looking in the aquarium and Gwyn seemed adamant that he was going to find a fish that matched the tattoo on Diana’s cheek which Diana found very sweet. When they got to the zebra exhibit, Diana found herself struggling to gauge Gwyn’s reaction. He seemed delighted at these animals who seemed free (which felt like the hunt) but he seemed sad, but didn’t want to talk to Diana about it. 

As Gwyn was allowing Diana to choose where they went, once they had seen the zebras, she decided she wanted to go to the bird enclosure. Gwyn seemed to love seeing all the brightly coloured birds flying around, but the feeling of sadness that had been there with the zebras felt stronger. Finding a bench, Diana sat them down going “something troubles you my love please tell me”. Taking a deep breath Gwyn found himself saying “the animals delight me Diana, but must they be in fences? Why can they not go free?” and despite herself Diana smiled, and rested her head on Gwyn’s shoulder. “Well for one reason this is not their home Gwyn, and they, or any one close to them would not survive. But the main reason is that they are endangered and they are in places like zoos to both protect them and help them boost their numbers” she explained, and then gave Gwyn’s hand a quick squeeze of comfort. “Oh” was all Gwyn said and Diana could hear the sadness in his voice. 

In that moment Diana had an idea. Standing up, and pulling Gwyn up with her, she said “Come Gwyn I have an idea that I think you will like a lot more” and stated walking, leading Gwyn and giving the impression that she wasn’t going to answer any questions, not that he was going to complain. At some point, Diana slowed, and linked arms, which made Gwyn very happy indeed. Gwyn did try a couple of times to ask where exactly they were going but Diana refused to say anything. That is until they found themselves standing outside a building. “What is this place my lady?” Gwyn asked, unable to keep the confusion out of his voice. Diana couldn’t help but smile as she said “it’s an arcade, come see” and with that they went in.

Gwyn’s eyes went wide with all the games that surrounded him and Diana couldn’t help but smile and how sweet and slightly innocent he seemed at the entire thing. “What shall we do first my love?” Diana asked, and Gwyn shrugged saying quietly “I do not understand any of these contraptions Diana, I would not know what to do” which melted Diana’s heart. She decided that the best option would be to play a game first to show Gwyn what to do, then give him a go. The first game was the change machine. It was this that made them realise how competitive they both were. Diana had managed to win more change than Gwyn (not by much though) and Gwyn hadn’t been all that impressed. 

Diana then suggested doing Tetris, which made Gwyn look both confused and horrified. “I am not sure that is a good idea. That sounds more of a disease than a game and I am not sure I want to catch it” he confessed which made Diana burst out laughing, which in turn made people stare at a game. “I assure you my love that it is most certainly a game and not a disease” she said. Having shown him what to do, Gwyn took ago. Again, Diana won, but that was more down to the fact that despite her reassurances, Gwyn was still convinced the game was a disease. They then moved onto Pac Man which Gwyn enjoyed a lot more and actually won. Diana didn’t say it but seeing Gwyn face made her fall in love with him just a little but more. 

Galaga just baffled Gwyn giving Diana an easy win. Gwyn seemed a bit deflated and it was all Diana could to do was to loop her arms around him and kiss him softly. Had they not been caught so much in each other they would have noticed a small child staring up at them, not even trying to hide it. Diana then challenged Gwyn to a game of air hockey and Gwyn won quite spectacularly. Diana had never been so proud of him, and she told him as such. Gwyn’s smile lit up the room and won Diana another kiss. They then played a very competitive game of pin ball and Diana won by a small margin. She struggled so hide her triumphant. 

At Gwyn’s request, they then played on the Basket Ball hoop ramp which again, Diana won. Gwyn shrugged and acted as though he had let her win but Diana had known it had been because he had been staring at her instead of concentrating on the game. She loved him far too much to actually tell him as such so she pretended to believe the lie. For some reason, Diana decided to play on Guitar Hero. Much to her surprise, Gwyn had a real talent for the game, and won spectacularly. Diana had just stared, her mouth open. She could scarcely hide her bitterness at the loss by saying "didn't realize you were such an expert at guitar hero” somewhat grumpily. Gwyn shrugged saying “oh you haven't got a clue” but then sensed Diana’s bitterness, so made a point to win her something from the claw machine. After a few attempts, he was successful and Diana walked away from the arcade clutching a stuffed fish which had startling resemblance to Diana’s tattoo. 

Apparently, Gwyn’s win at Guitar Hero was still playing on Diana’s mind as they walked back to her house (Diana had convinced him to stay the night, not that he needed much convincing) as she asked “what did you mean when you said I didn’t have a clue after you won Guitar Hero” she asked suddenly, and Gwyn found himself smiling slightly. “I spend a lot of time alone, so I got a hobby and learnt to play music, string instruments in particular. I never learnt to read music so I had to learn to pick songs up by songs by ear” he said and Diana’s mind struggled to process what she had heard. “Will you play me something?” she asked suddenly and Gwyn was more than happy to agree. 

When they got back to Diana’s house, they found themselves in Diana’s room. Gwyn was sat on the bed, up against the headboard, and Diana sat between his legs, her back against his chest. His arms wrapped around her waist and having kissed her neck a few times, he started singing an old faerie love song. Despite not understanding a word, Diana found herself with tears running down her cheeks because it was beautiful. Gwyn’s voice was deep and lovely and all Diana wanted to do was listen to it. When he finished, he was worried it had been awful which was why she was crying and he said as such. Turning so she straddled his waist, she cupped his face and said “Gwyn it was beautiful” before kissing him deeply, and Gwyn was more than happy to respond. 

The pair of them would have been happy to stay like that had Diana not received several messages in quick succession. Reading them she swore, which worried Gwyn immensely. “Diana my love what is it?” he asked, concern clear in his voice. Diana looked at him, panic clear in her face. “Cristina has told me Zara is at the institute. She was rude to Ty, meaning Kit’s having to calm him down in the library, Dru’s trying to keep Tavvy occupied, Jules’s is trying to keep Emma from destroy her and Cristina is struggling to keep Mark and Kieran hidden. Cristina has asked me to return” and as she said the last bit she was getting up and getting ready. “I shall accompany you” was all he said. 

Linking their pinkie fingers together, they hurried off to the Institute. Jules was holding onto a very angry Emma who looked like she would murder Zara the second Jules let her go. It was them suddenly noticing the couple approach that Zara noticed. Taking in the linked pinkies Zara raised her eyebrow. “Oh come now Diana this is low even for you. I really thought…” she started before Diana started talking in a scary calm in her voice. “My relationship with Gwyn is of no concern to you Zara. But as you have mentioned him, let it stand as testimony to the fact I am more open and accepting to those who share this world with us, rather than showing them the disrespect them like you do” she said. Zara made a move to respond when Diana raised her hand to silence her, and continued to talk, absolutely destroying Zara in the scary calm voice she’d started using. 

She reminded Zara of how she had fought in the mortal war, whereas Zara and the rest of the Dearborns had run and had hidden. She also brought up Zara’s failed cohort, her father’s fall from the role as Inquisitor and how the clave had banished them from Idris and had demolished the cold peace, meaning that Gwyn and Kieran could join her and the Blackthorn in Alicante any time they wanted. Her speech was full of clever insults as well and reminders of Zara’s failings that by the end, Zara had looked a slither of what she had been. At no point had Diana raised her voice or even sworn but had completely destroyed Zara. Her last line had been “and if you ever, ever darken this door again I will kill you” and Zara had had no doubt she would, resulting I her leaving and not even turning back, never to return again. 

Diana closed her eyes to regain herself, and once she opened them again everyone was outside and was cheering her. Emma was practically bowing at her in the most dramatic way possible. Tavvy was running around cheering very loudly and Kit and Dru were doing a victory dancing whilst chanting Diana’s name over and over. Gwyn hugged Diana and twirled her around before kissing her softly and whispering “I am so proud of you” which earned him another kiss. Tavvy had stopped his cheering and had looked at them with eyes wide before going “are you two going to get married?” and before getting an answer, he skipped inside humming the wedding march” and was followed by everyone else until Gwyn and Diana were left alone. There was a pause before Gwyn said, somewhat awkwardly “I wouldn’t mind you know, being married to you” and Diana just leant into him going “I’d like that Gwyn”.


End file.
